toaster

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

1.One who toasts. [1913 Webster]

2.A kitchen utensil for toasting bread, cheese, etc. [1913 Webster] [1913 Webster]

1.The act of applying; application. [1913 Webster]

2.subservience; compliance. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3.A thing applied or used as a means to an end; an apparatus or device; as, to use various appliances; a mechanical appliance; a machine with its appliances. [1913 Webster]

4.Specifically: An apparatus or device, usually powered electrically, used in homes to perform domestic functions. An appliance is often categorized as a major appliance or a minor appliance by its cost. Common major appliances are the refrigerator, washing machine, clothes drier, oven, and dishwasher. Some minor appliances are a toaster, vacuum cleaner or microwave oven. [PJC]

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

<jargon> 1. The archetypal really stupid application for an embedded microprocessor controller; often used in comments that imply that a scheme is inappropriate technology (but see elevator controller). "DWIM for an assembler? That'd be as silly as running Unix on your toaster!"

2.A very, very dumb computer. "You could run this program on any dumb toaster."

See bitty box, Get a real computer!, toy, beige toaster.

3.A Macintosh, especially the Classic Mac. Some hold that this is implied by sense 2.

4.A peripheral device. "I bought my box without toasters, but since then I've added two boards and a second disk drive".

This is not usually to be taken literally but, to show off the expansion capabilities of the Risc PC, Acorn Computers Ltd. built a seven-slice machine (which they called "the rocket-ship") and installed every imaginable peripheral. In a spare drive bay of the top slice they installed a toaster. This machine was exhibited at various shows where it attracted attention by occasionally ejecting a pizza. [Jargon File]

(1997-07-18)

The Jargon File

1.The archetypal really stupid application for an embedded microprocessor controller; often used in comments that imply that a scheme is inappropriate technology (but see elevator controller). “DWIM for an assembler? That'd be as silly as running Unix on your toaster!”

2.A very, very dumb computer. “You could run this program on any dumb toaster.” See bitty box, Get a real computer!, toy, beige toaster.

3.A Macintosh, esp. a Mac in the original unitary case. Some hold that this is implied by sense 2.

4.A peripheral device. “I bought my box without toasters, but since then I've added two boards and a second disk drive.”

5.A specialized computer used as an appliance. See web toaster, video toaster.